Little Cookie Peanut Butter Bites Recipe
These Little Cookie Peanut Butter Bites are a delightful treat featuring buttery, tender cookie cups filled with mini Reese’s peanut butter cups. Perfect for peanut butter lovers, these bite-sized sweets combine a soft vanilla-flavored cookie crust with rich, melty peanut butter candy centers, making them ideal for parties, snacks, or dessert platters.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookie bites 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, softened
Filling
- 12 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 12-count mini muffin pan thoroughly to prevent sticking and set it aside.
- Make Cookie Dough: In a stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and softened butter. Mix on medium speed until the ingredients come together into a smooth cookie dough.
- Form Cookie Cups: Using 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough per cavity, press the dough firmly into each mini muffin cup, shaping it by pressing against the sides to form a small cup. This creates a hollow center for the peanut butter cup later.
- Initial Bake: Bake the cookie cups for 5 minutes at 350°F. This step partially cooks the dough and prepares it for shaping.
- Shape Cookies Mid-Bake: Remove the pan from the oven. Using the back of a spoon, gently press each cookie down into the pan, pushing the dough against the sides. This helps reform the cup shape as the dough will have risen during the initial baking.
- Final Bake: Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 8 minutes until the cookie cups are lightly browned and fully cooked through.
- Add Peanut Butter Cups: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, place one mini Reese’s peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie cup, allowing the warmth to slightly soften the candy.
- Cool and Remove: Allow the cookie bites to cool completely in the pan before carefully removing them. Cooling ensures they hold their shape and the filling sets nicely.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature for easier mixing.
- Pressing the cookie dough into the muffin pan creates a perfect cup shape to hold the peanut butter cup.
- Cooling the cookie bites fully before removing helps maintain their structure.
- These bites can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for longer freshness.
- For variation, try using different flavors of mini peanut butter cups or add a sprinkle of sea salt on top for contrast.
Keywords: peanut butter cookie bites, mini cookie cups, Reese’s peanut butter cups recipe, bite-sized desserts, easy cookie recipe
